The Bonds of Family

by KidatHeart5


Protection

“Flurry!” her cousins and friend all exclaimed in surprise when they saw the princess at the door with an antlered stallion. Nova and Blaze were the first to embrace Flurry in a tight hug.
Nova said tearfully, “Oh, Flurry! Thank goodness we found you!”
Blaze chastised Flurry, “You had everyone worried sick about you!”
Mischief asked Flurry, “So who are they? Your other siblings or…?”
Roller flew to him and eyed him suspiciously. He said as he did so, “Funny. We could ask the same about you. Why are you with Flurry, anyway? Are you a spy?”
Suddenly, Skater yanked his tail and pulled him back by her side. She scolded her twin, “Roller!”
A voice then asked, “What’s going on here?” Cauldron Bubbles then entered the room and exclaimed with a smile, “Mischief! Flurry! Back so soon? How was your picnic?”
The search party looked at Flurry and Mischief with surprised looks as they asked, “Picnic?”
Flurry waved her hoof, “That’s not important right now.”
Mischief nodded with a firm look on his face, “Yeah. Who are you and what are you doing here?”
Blaze answered with a proud poise, “I am Prince Blaze of the royal Canterlot family.” He gestured to the Marendelle twins and Apple Butter, “This is Prince Roller Blade and Princesses Skater and Apple Butter of the royal Marendelle family.”
Nova then introduced herself, “And I am Nova Rose, daughter of the royal wizard Sunburst and best friend to Flurry Heart.” She then smirked at Blaze, “I can introduce myself, thank you.”
In truth, Blaze should’ve felt offended, but he liked seeing this new smart-aleck side of Nova. He wanted to point out that her mother was his mother’s kidnapper to get back at her comment, but he thought that would stoop too low.
Skater explained, “We put a spell on the friendship necklace Flurry gave Nova and used it to find her here.”
Mischief scratched his head, “I don’t understand. Why were you searching for Flurry?”
Blaze answered, “Duh! She’s family!”
Roller Blade added, “That and to keep her safe from the changelings.”
Flurry and Mischief asked with wide eyes, “Changelings?”
Apple Butter explained, “Long story short, Chrysalis made new bad changelings and overran the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, and many other places in Equestria.”
Blaze added, “Oh, and she’s in cahoots with the Moonshadows.”
Everyone looked at him in confusion until Cauldron Bubbles asked, “Excuse me. Moonshadows?”
Blaze face-hoofed when he realized he hadn’t told them. “Oh, right! You don’t know. Okay, so there’s this new type of Umbrum living on the moon. They were created from the insignia that failed to cover the moon.” He cringed as he said, “They’re also the army in the prophecy Zecora told us about.”
The search party had shocked expressions and gasped, but for Flurry, Mischief, and Cauldron Bubbles, this was their first time hearing about the prophecy.
CB said, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I would’ve read about this prophecy of yours in any of the books I’ve read.”
Skater said, “It’s a zebra prophecy.”
Blaze explained, “They have more of an oral tradition than a written one.”
Mischief asked, “So what does this prophecy predict?”
Nova recalled, “Zecora told us that the zebra elders predicted of a heavenly door releasing evil and vice. We assume that’s the moon ever since Skyla became imprisoned there.”
Flurry looked down in shame when Nova said that.
Nova continued, “She also said that the four stars will aid in Skyla’s escape and she’ll unleash fear and terror all over Equestria. Oh, and she would have an army to help her.”
Flurry asked in concern, “So you think Skyla will be past the point of no return?”
Roller Blade said, “Not really. ‘Cause we got a secret weapon.”
Skater took out a flask and explained, “We found the spring water that corrupted Skyla, so we fixed it up and now it’s an antidote. One splash of this and Skyla will be back to normal.”
Flurry embraced Skater in gratitude and said, “I really hope it works.”


Back at Canterlot Castle, Chrysalis was having a splendid time ruling over the city at last. The only time she ever set hoof in Canterlot was to kidnap Celestia’s six daughters. Even then, she was tempted to overthrow Celestia at that moment. Now with her and her meddling family out of the way, Chrysalis could rule over Canterlot as she so wished. However, there was still one thing that bothered her.
“Captain!” she called out.
Within a few seconds, a changeling wearing dark purple armor ran into the throne room.
He asked as he bowed, “Yes, Your Majesty?”
A smile curved up on her face as she purred, “Mmm…I do love hearing those words again.” Her grin then faded as she said, “Captain, I have everything I could ever want: total domination, my enemies encased in cocoons, and my loyal army behind me. But…there is one thing that still bothers me.”
“And what is that, Your Highness?”
She hissed at him, “Princess Flurry Heart! My informants on the moon tell me that she is still alive and in hiding near Hollow Shades. There are several ponies who’ve already found her. No doubt Flurry and her little army will instill hope in others and start a rebellion.”
“But once Nightmare Sky and the Moonshadows come, they could easily take care of those ponies.”
“If Flurry Heart is anything like her goody-goody family, she will search for a way to bring her sister back to normal. We’ll have to draw her out somehow. Once she is in the village, my minions will be there to ambush her. You, Captain, will see to it. Do whatever it takes. Torture the villagers, starve them, steal from them – anything to lure Flurry Heart right to you.”
The captain nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty.” He then flew out of the throne room.


Mischief felt nervous being in the company of more royals. Before his mother went to work, she told him to mingle with their new guests like how he mingled with Flurry Heart. He knew the situation with Flurry was very different; it was just one-on-one. They could share their feelings with each other just like that. With her cousins and friend, however, he and Flurry couldn’t just show their feelings for one another around them. What would they think? Mischief and Flurry agreed to keep the closeness of their friendship a secret, but it wasn’t the only thing they would keep from the others.
The antlered colt was afraid of the ponies’ reactions if they knew that he was a survivor – perhaps even an unwitting instigator – of the blizzard that took the alicorns and draconequui. There was no telling if they would understand as much as Flurry did. He couldn’t take that chance, so he kept his mouth shut. That, in turn, led to a bit of awkwardness between him and Flurry’s friends. He tried to keep telling himself that he was just friends with Flurry and nothing more. And yet, why did the thought of that sting his soul?
Flurry and Mischief told the others only what they needed to know, omitting some details here and there. But even as they related the story of the days they spent, some of the ponies saw gleams in the couple’s eyes. That was a hint that Mischief and Flurry Heart were closer than they were letting on. However, they just decided to let it be, lest the awkwardness should double.
When Cauldron Bubbles came home, she exhaled, “Phew! Thank goodness I stocked up when I did. Some thieves came stampeding through Hollow Shades and stole lots of food. Thankfully, they didn’t steal my merchandise. If they so much had set hoof in my store, I would’ve blasted them to next week.”
Mischief pointed out, “Mom, you barely have enough magic to blast them ten feet away.”
“Well, at least I can still make my famous Zap Stew, and I don’t need much magic for cooking it.”
After the stew was done, almost everypony complimented Cauldron on her delicious meal. The only exception was Flurry Heart, who just looked at her stew and was lost in thought.
Mischief noticed this and asked in concern, “Hey, Flurry? Are you okay?”
Cauldron asked, “Is my stew not that good?”
Flurry answered, “Oh, I’m sorry. I just keep thinking about those poor villagers in Hollow Shades. They have limited food now and I can’t help but worry about them.”
Blaze agreed, “She’s right. Ponies should always try to help those in need.”
Cauldron pointed out, “But how are we going to get more food? It takes a while to reach Ponyville for food and the Earth ponies are slowly losing their ability to grow crops. Oh, and we can’t eat the plants that grow here. They’re poisonous.”
“Well, then, how about your Zap Stew? Can’t we give that to the villagers?”
CB put her hoof to her chin in contemplation as she said, “I do have enough to make my stew for a few more days until someone brings more food from Ponyville. Of course, we’ll have to eat something else in the meantime.”
Mischief said, “I’m okay with that.”
Skater agreed, “I’ll take that chance.”
Nova was surprised that Blaze was willing to give some Zap Stew to the villagers. She decided to go with him to see what he was like when he was generous…and not in a begrudging way.


When Blaze, Nova Rose, and Apple Butter pulled into Hollow Shades with a tied-down cauldron in the cart behind them, the residents were confused. The trio stopped the cart in the town square and opened the lid to reveal Zap Stew. The villagers gasped in amazement and were overjoyed when they saw the stew. Thankfully, they flocked gently to the three as they waited for their share of stew. Seeing the look of friendliness on Blaze’s face as he poured the stew for the citizens sparked something in Nova’s heart. It was nice seeing him this way, but why hadn’t she seen it before?
She sang softly, “There's something sweet and almost kind…but he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined…And now he's dear and very sure…I wonder why I didn't see it there before…”
Just then, they heard a little filly crying and Nova rushed over to her.
Nova asked, “What’s wrong?”
The filly sniffled, “My dolly. I lost my dolly. I dropped it when Daddy picked me up and rushed me home when bad ponies stampeded through here last night.”
Nova gave a warm smile, “Don’t worry. We’ll help you find your doll.” She then called out to the villagers, “Um, hello? Excuse me!” When all attention was directed at her, she instructed, “This little filly lost her doll last night. Could you help me find it?”
When the villagers started looking for the doll, Blaze whispered to her, “Nova, it’s too dark here. We’ll never find the doll like this.”
His horn then lit up and he cast a sphere of light into the air and near the treetops. All of Hollow Shades was illuminated by the green glow of his magic spell. A stallion saw something and pulled it out from behind a barrel.
The villager called out, “I found it!”
The filly gasped in delight and the residents cheered at the successful find. As the green glow died down and made way for the usual dimness of the town, the villager handed Blaze the doll.
Nova came up to Blaze and hugged him, saying, “Oh, thank you, Blaze! You really are a prince!”
Blaze couldn’t help but blush at Nova’s soft embrace. When she grabbed the doll, he felt their hooves touching for one tiny moment. He would cherish that moment more than all his years as a prince.
He sang softly in wonder, “She glanced this way…I think it’s proof…And when we touched, she didn't draw back from my hoof…No, it can't be…I'll just ignore…but then she's never looked at me that way before…”
After the filly thanked Nova and ran off to find her playmates, Nova looked back at Blaze – who resumed giving stew to hungry residents – and sang, “New and a bit alarming…Who'd have ever thought that this could be? True that he's no Prince Charming…but there's something in him that I simply didn't see…”
After the trio finished giving Zap Stew to the villagers, they made their way back to the cottage. Apple Butter then told the twins and Flurry Heart about Blaze and Nova.
She sang, “Well, who'd have thought?”
Flurry Heart sang in amazement, “Well, bless my soul…”
Roller Blade sang, “Well, who'd have known?”
Skater sang, “Well, who indeed?”
Apple Butter sang, “And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?”
Roller Blade put his hoof to his head as he sang, “It's so peculiar…”
All four sang as they saw Nova and Blaze picking out a book to read, “We'll wait and see…a few days more…There may be something there that wasn't there before…”
Flurry sang, “Well, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before…”
Apple Butter sang, “There may be something there that wasn't there before…”
Flurry was glad that romance could be blooming between her cousin and friend. She wanted her and Mischief to have the same chance.


Mischief sniffed the air as he awoke from his slumber. Funny, the air smelled like…Something wasn’t right. He jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs.
“Mom?” he called out when he couldn’t see her anywhere in the empty rooms. “Mom?”
He ran outside and looked all around the field, which laid under the early morning sky, until his eyes caught a tower of smoke rising from the forest.
He breathed, “Oh, no…”
Flurry asked in concern as she reached the open door, “Mischief, what’s wrong?”
“I think Hollow Shades is on fire! I need you to stay here with Blaze and Nova while the others and I go and put out the fire.”
Blaze mentioned, “Um, hello? My name is Blaze and I got my cutie mark in putting out fires with just my magic.”
Mischief then smiled, “All right. You’re just the colt for the job. But if the fire’s too big for you, I’ll be right at the edge of the forest with buckets of water.”
Nova asked, “Does that mean I’m still staying here?”
Mischief nodded, “Yes. You and Flurry should stay here. You’ll be safe as long as you stay in the house.”
Skater said with a determined smile, “Roller and I will help with the blaze.”
Blaze shot back, “Hey!”
Roller playfully rolled his eyes, “Sorry. We meant ‘fire’.”
The four of them then charged into the forest and found many buildings in Hollow Shades engulfed in flames. Blaze used his magic to extinguish as much of the fire as possible before he resorted to the water buckets Mischief provided for him. Despite all the chaos that occurred, Mischief managed to stay out of sight and remained a short distance away from the town. A short while later, no tongue of flame was left burning and only the simmering skeletons of the buildings that had caught on fire remained. Luckily for Cauldron Bubbles, her shop was left untouched. However, many of the villagers were not as fortunate as she was. When the twins saw the shock and despair written all over the residents’ faces, they knew they had to do something.
Skater asked Cauldron Bubbles, “Will the houses and stores get rebuilt?”
CB shook her head, “I don’t know. There was an area of the forest reserved for lumber, but unfortunately, a rock avalanche blocked the entrance to the lumberyard and soon everyone abandoned the operation. They turned to outside sources for lumber and building material, though it may take a long time for any to get here.”
Roller Blade then suggested, “Well, what if we find the lumberyard again and deliver wood from there?”
Cauldron said, “Yes, that would save a lot of time, and wood from outside is so expensive. I wish you the best of luck, then.”


Blaze asked, “Are you sure your mom’s map is accurate?”
Mischief said as he looked at it, “She said this was before the rock avalanche blocked the lumberyard off from the rest of the forest.”
Skater asked, “Which was like, what, a few decades ago?”
Mischief pointed out, “I was there to see the lumberyard for myself, but it’s been so long ago that I don’t exactly remember.” He then tripped on a stone and fell to the ground.
Roller Blade smirked, “But you might remember that.”
Blaze said as he pointed to something, “And that.”
The four of them looked up to see the massive boulders piled onto each other, barely fitting between the two trees that were supposed to mark the entrance to the lumberyard.
Skater gaped, “That is super high.”
Mischief asked, “Roller, can you check to see if any of the wood piles survived the avalanche?”
Roller saluted, “Yes, sir!”
The Pegasus then shot up into the air and flew over the boulders. He was amazed to see that most of the lumberyard remained intact and only looked as if it was an island amidst a circle of rocks.
He shouted to the others, “Hey, guys! This is so cool! The rocks only circle around the lumberyard! They didn’t bury it!”
The three other ponies shouted in surprise, “What?!”
Moments later, Skater flew up next to Roller and Mischief floated up after them, carrying Blaze with his magic.
Skater’s eyes widened, “Whoa, you weren’t kidding.”
Blaze said, “It looks like there was a protection spell on the lumberyard that only activated in times of danger.”
Mischief remarked, “Well, someone sure must’ve known what they were doing when they cast that spell. Come on. Let’s see if we can find any planks of wood to carry back to Hollow Shades.”
When everypony landed, they started searching for the storage shacks in which the wood piles would be kept. Roller opened a door and to his amazement, he found a huge stack of wood planks neatly placed on top of one another.
“Sweet!” he exclaimed.
Before he could run off to tell the others, he heard a strange voice calling, “Roller…”
He looked all around the storage shack for whoever called to him. “Who's there?”
Again, the voice called, “Roller…”
Roller Blade pawed his hoof and spread his wings as he said bravely, “I’m not scared of you! Show yourself!”
Just then, three ponies with dark-colored uniforms skidded out of the shadows. The pony in the middle said, “We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria.”
Roller asked in confusion, “Who?”
“Why, you, of course.”
Roller was absolutely stunned to hear that. “What?! Really?! You think I’m that good a flyer? Well, of course, Aunt Rainbow Dash is better than I am. My mom gushes about her often.”
“No, Roller Blade. We want you to join us, the Shadowbolts. We're the greatest aerial team in Hollow Shades, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria, but first, we need a captain. The most dashing-“
“Yep.”
“Strongest-“
“Yes.”
“Bravest flyer in all the land.”
Roller chuckled, “Yes, all true.”
“We need...” She then whispered in his ear, “…you.”
“WHOO! Sign me up! Just let me get my friends real quick and then we have a deal.”
Suddenly, the leader stopped in front of him and shouted, “No! It's them or us.” As Roller contemplated his choices, she asked again, “Well?”
Roller then answered, “You...Thank you. For the offer, I mean, but I'm afraid I have to break some hearts and say no.”
He then exited the storage shack, leaving the angry Shadowbolts to disappear in the shadows.
Roller waved to the ponies, “Hey, guys! I found some wood!”
They ran over to him and cheered, “All right, Roller! Great job, buddy!”


Chrysalis stomped her hoof in frustration and growled, “Rarrgh! Let me see if I’m hearing you correctly. You stole the town’s food, burned their houses, and even tried to convince a meddlesome prince to leave his friends! All. Without. SUCCESS!”
The captain explained, “They’re too smart for their own good. They’ll never let Flurry Heart set one hoof outside the house.”
Chrysalis said as she looked out the window to see the moon, “Yes…And Nightmare Sky shall soon be free to wreak havoc. Flurry will try to find a way to rid her sister of the darkness. She must be disposed of before Nightmare Sky returns.” Suddenly, it dawned on her. “Yes…Nightmare Sky…”